Highlight of the Week

Civil Disobedience protest at the White House via Chesapeakeclimate/flickr

The State Department, which is overseeing the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline permitting process, issued a final environmental impact statement (FEIS). The FEIS wraps up a highly controversial environmental review and starts the next stage of the permitting process referred to as the “national interest determination.” For opponents, the FEIS seems to confirm Secretary Clinton’s prejudgment of the result last year when the review was far from over.

“After two failed rounds of environmental review, this looks like strike three for the State Department. The document still fails to address the key concerns for landowners and wildlife. It is almost certain to be scrutinized in other venues, including a probable legal challenge. This only escalates the controversy in a process that is far from over.”

Protesters from across the country have been gathered daily in front of the White House in a major act of civil disobedience that has resulted in more than 380 arrests, as almost the entire environmental community condemns the FEIS and speaks up against dirty tar sands.

Economic Story of the Week

Cleantech Taking Off

via Michael O’Leary

According to Climate Progress, despite a spate of rumors in the media to the contrary, clean energy is creating large numbers of high quality American jobs in emerging industries. ‘Cleantech’ has seen “torrid growth” from 2003 to 2010, 8.3% per year which is almost double the growth rate of the overall economy during that period.

The government’s investment in clean energy jobs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and programs like the Better Buildings Initiative have helped stimulate the hardest hit sectors of the economy, increase U.S. competitive advantage in new clean energy industries, and increased both the quality and quantity of clean energy jobs even in the recession. For a more detailed analysis, click here.

Editorial of the Week

Irene Strikes a Nation Seemingly Content to Worry Less About Climate Change

(New York Times)

The last time a hurricane landed on the shores of the United States, Americans’ belief in climate change was at its peak and House Democrats would soon begin their march toward passage of climate legislation. When Irene boils onto the East Coast this weekend, she will find a nation with degraded belief in global warming, a defeated climate bill, and the absence of a federal plan to address an ominously rising number of natural catastrophes.

It’s time to use current weather events, like Irene, as an analogy for future climate effects, says Frank Nutter, president of the Reinsurance Association of America… “You have to start looking at these things as indicative of the very scenarios that the scientific community say are likely to play out — increased precipitation, more severe storms, probably greater storm surge with rising sea level,” Nutter said. (More…)

CA Green Lights Cap & Trade

State air regulators in California have affirmed cap and trade as their policy of choice to reduce greenhouse emissions from industrial sectors under California’s global warming law, A.B. 32.

All of the board members who approved the original plan in 2008 upheld their previous votes, but four members voiced preference yesterday for tax on carbon pollution instead of the cap-and-trade regulations.

The regulations are due to be released in final form in the next week or so, followed by a final commenting period before their approval in October. Agency staff stated they are also considering adding three new ways to reduce emissions outside the cap in order to increase the supply of offsets, including reducing the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, reducing rice straw decomposition and methane generation from flooded rice fields, and replacing valves on oil and gas pipelines with ones that release less methane, said Edie Chang, head of ARB’s climate planning and management department.

Come on Irene

Irene aftermath in the Bronx, via Edwin Martinez1/Flickr

Though here inside the Beltway we got off comparatively easy, Hurricane Irene’s wrath could cause more damage along the Eastern Seaboard than any other storm in decades, begging the question of whether climate change may be increasing the strength of hurricanes (not to mention other extreme weather events.) Coincidentally, Irene’s landing coincided with the 6 year anniversary of Katrina’s touchdown in the Gulf and came just a few days after the 5.9 earthquake that shook the east coast.

While scientists are still wary of attributing any single extreme weather event to climate change, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology expert Kerry Emanuel, “the evidence for a connection between Atlantic hurricanes and global climate change is fairly compelling.” Given the apparent increase in both frequency and strength of these events and their impacts on people and wildlife, we should at least start taking this evidence seriously.

The new ruling strongly reiterates the 2007 ruling of Massachusetts v. EPA that emissions of carbon dioxide qualify as air pollution subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act and adds that “Congress delegated to EPA the decision whether and how to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants.” The Court focuses on this as the rationale for foreclosing Connecticut’s attempted use of federal common law to abate the carbon nuisance created by AEP’s coal-fired power plants. In joining the Court’s reasoning, “Roberts and Scalia have flipped over to a confirmation that the Clean Air Act is a tool to tackle climate,” said Mendelson.

Quote:

Jeremy Symons

“The first thing to know about this dangerous and unnecessary tar sludge pipeline is that it’s more than just a disaster for wildlife or a disaster for clean water…It’s about climate change… It’s also a disaster for consumers who are already paying high gas prices at the pump. At a time where our gas prices are already high, you have oil companies cooking up a new scheme that will raise gas prices in the Midwest.”

Economic Story of the Week

Regional cap-and-trade systems to thrive

via NWF

Carbon market experts and emissions trading proponents are confidently predicting that regional cap-and-trade systems will continue to grow in the U.S. and Canada. In spite of the recent announcement of New Jersey’s departure from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nine other member states still remain strongly committed to the program’s success.

Additional trends in the western United States and Canada suggest that RGGI is encouraging a move toward mandatory cap-and-trade programs in several states and provinces, experts say. The emissions trading program in California, for example, is set to become the next government-regulated carbon market in North America. Once in place, it will ease the transition for other states and provinces.

Observers recognize RGGI for demonstrating a model other systems can follow, through the efficient allocation of emissions allowances by auction, with transparent system oversight and minimal disruption to the power markets. Regionally based approaches may continue to emerge throughout North America and maybe eventually unify as a comprehensive framework.

“I am increasingly a believer that what will happen in the U.S. is that we will have a bottom-up development of a series of regional programs which will eventually form a significant and nationwide” cap-and-trade program, says David Hunter, U.S. director of the International Emissions Trading Association.

Editorial of the Week

A.E.P. Protests Too Much

(NY Times)

American Electric Power, one of the nation’s largest utilities, warned last week that new air quality rules could force it to “prematurely” shut down about two dozen big coal-fired units and fire hundreds of workers. This is a deceptive and particularly cynical claim. The utility is making a business decision that has little to do with the rules…Blaming the rules is a transparent scare tactic designed to weaken the administration’s resolve while playing to industry supporters on Capitol Hill.

Fortunately, Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, which proposed the rules, refuses to be bullied. Ms. Jackson called the A.E.P. charges “misleading at best” and made clear she would not retreat from her statutory duty to protect public health. (More…)

According to the report, more than 4 out of 5 companies believe climate change poses a risk to their business. The global survey reported that 86 percent of businesses described responding the climate risks as a business opportunity.

“Businesses are facing increasing challenges from the rise in extreme weather events — such as droughts, heat waves and floods,” said Manish Bapna, managing director, WRI. “In this changing environment, companies that move first to address the risks and develop innovative strategies to adapt to climate change are likely to be the winners and gain a competitive advantage moving forward.”

ALA Poll shows support for EPA and Stronger Smog Standards

LA Smog circa 1965 via Metro Transportation/Flickr

New data released from a bipartisan survey conducted by the American Lung Association indicates that Americans are greatly supportive of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and their efforts to update and strengthen rules on life-threatening air pollutants such as smog.

The poll reports that 75 percent of voters support the EPA setting stricter limits on smog, rather than Congress. A significant majority of voters reject the idea that stronger standards will hinder economic recovery, while most agree that updated standards will spur innovation and investment in new technologies that will also lead to job creation.

Senate says No to Ethanol Subsidies

via Brave Heart/Flickr

In a landmark 73-23 vote, the Senate passed an amendment to end the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) and remove the protectionist tariff for corn ethanol. Because oil companies are already mandated under the Renewable Fuels Standard to blend ethanol, this funding is duplicative and no longer needed to support ethanol production.

The decision indicates that farm-state support for corn ethanol has conflicted with efforts to balance the budget. At an estimated annual cost to taxpayers of $4-6 billion a year, disposing of this tax credit will help control deficit spending without hindering the development of advanced biofuels as a renewable energy source. The House also voted to prohibit federal funding of expensive blender pumps and storage tanks for ethanol.

Highlight of the Week

Wildlife, Public Health Advocates, Moms Stand Up Against Toxic Air Pollutants

Clean air advocates urged the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency to act quickly to rein in mercury, arsenic, dioxin and toxic air pollution at EPA’s hearings in Philadelphia, Chicago and Atlanta this week. Hundreds of conservationists, physicians, mothers and fishermen turned out to testify and submit public comments before a panel of federal environmental officials from the EPA on new rules to limit many forms of pollution toxic to people and wildlife.

“It is disgraceful that in the year 2011 I can’t take my grandson fishing on the Susquehanna River and eat the fish he catches because they are contaminated with mercury,” said NWF’s Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator and former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Ed Perry. “It’s about time we stopped poisoning ourselves when reasonable alternatives to reducing mercury pollution are available.”

Proponents of the rules say they will reduce airborne toxins that contribute to respiratory illnesses, birth defects and developmental problems in infants and children. Airborne mercury settles in water, building up in ocean and freshwater fish and other wildlife that are eventually consumed by people.

Quote:

Joe Mendelson

“Jump starting the electrification of our federal fleet is a great deal for taxpayers and the environment. It leads the way toward a future that avoids high prices at the gas pump, reduces carbon pollution, and invests in made-in-America technology.”

Economic Story of the Week

GM Jumpstarts First Electric Motors Plant

General Motors broke ground on a new electric motor plant near Baltimore, the first by a major U.S. automaker solely dedicated to crafting components for vehicle electrification when it opens in 2013.

Electric motor design and production is a core component of GM’s plans for leadership in the development and manufacturing of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.

The new campus will be topped by a 1.23 megawatt solar array, which is expected to generate nine percent of its annual energy consumption and save approximately $330,000 throughout the life of the project. GM company officials say that GM will offset up to 1,103 metric tons of carbon pollution from entering the atmosphere per year, the equivalent of 216 cars.

Editorial of the Week

Editorial Title

(Washington Post)

Caution: It is vitally important not to make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this week’s shots from Joplin, Mo., you should not wonder: Is this somehow related to the tornado outbreak three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, Ala., or the enormous outbreak a couple of weeks before that (which, together, comprised the most active April for tornadoes in U.S. history). No, that doesn’t mean a thing.

…If you did wonder, you see, you would also have to wonder about whether this year’s record snowfalls and rainfalls across the Midwest — resulting in record flooding along the Mississippi — could somehow be related. And then you might find your thoughts wandering to, oh, global warming, and to the fact that climatologists have been predicting for years that as we flood the atmosphere with carbon we will also start both drying and flooding the planet, since warm air holds more water vapor than cold air. (More…)

The hearing panel was heavily loaded in favor of the pipeline, with witnesses including: Dan McFadyen, chairman of the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board; Alex Pourbaix, president of energy and oil pipelines at TransCanada; and James Burkhard, managing director of Global Oil at IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Jeremy Symons, senior vice president for conservation and education at the National Wildlife Federation offered some balance.

“The Keystone XL pipeline scheme is an oil company wolf hiding in Canadian sheepskin. Big oil’s claims that this pipeline will help our energy security are a carefully fabricated mirage,” Symons said. Click here to read the full testimony.

“We’re kind of stumped for an explanation of why Upton is doing what he’s doing,” said Tony Iallonardo, NWF senior communications manager. “In our minds, the lesson from Kalamazoo is that we need more studies of the harm tar sands can cause. We don’t need to hit the gas pedal harder and risk another tragic spill.”

Instead, of promoting legislation that skirts proper environmental review of Keystone XL, he added, Upton should be moving quickly to pass legislation that would ensure pipelines can safely transport diluted bitumen, which has been shown to be more corrosive and more difficult to clean up than conventional oil.

Natural Solutions for an Unnatural Disaster

Bonnet Carre spillway opening

As the catastrophic Mississippi River flooding unfolds, the National Wildlife Federation has released a new report identifying five ways government policies and practices are contributing to the events and resulting impacts, as well as five recommendations to help policymakers avoid and minimize future floods.

Each of the recommendations promotes the protection and restoration of natural defenses that are critical to a safe, affordable and sustainable flood protection system. While recognizing that levees, dams and other structural solutions will continue to play a role in flood protection and navigation, the report lays out a more balanced approach that utilizes the natural protection afforded by healthy wetlands, floodplains and even farmland.

The report also calls out the need to regulate carbon pollution. Though no single weather event can be attributed to climate change, increasing carbon pollution and a warming climate is making extreme weather events, such as flooding, more likely. To avoid increased damage from heavy intense rainfall events and other impacts of human-caused climate change, Americans must begin taking steps to reduce carbon pollution.

Senate Votes on Big Oil Tax Breaks

As the oil and gas industry enjoys record profits and consumers pay up to $4.00 a gallon for gas, the Senate took a roll call vote on S.940, the Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act. While 60 votes were required for passage, a majority of 52 senators voted in favor, including two Republicans.
Joe Mendelson, National Wildlife Federation global warming policy director said, “Billions of taxpayer dollars are enriching the wrong industry and rewarding the wrong behavior.

Americans know it’s fundamentally unfair to make extreme cuts to conservation, science and clean energy programs that invest in our future while polluters get special breaks. It’s past time to hit the reset button on this wasteful spending.”

S. 940 would eliminate $21 billion of tax loopholes over the next decade for the five largest oil companies. All recovered funds go to the U.S. Treasury to reduce the federal budget deficit. Three-quarters of Americans support ending the subsidies.

California Cap & Trade Continues

Despite a recent court decision to stay California’s carbon trading system, the first in the U.S., regulators may still be able to begin the market trading program in January 2012. Environmental justice advocates alleged that the state Air Resources Board (ARB) did not properly consider alternatives to cap and trade when it chose the market-based mechanism to reduce emissions by 20 percent in 2020.

Rather than ruling that trading was an unacceptable method or ruling against all the regulations, which included a low-carbon fuel standard, transportation emissions reductions and smart growth guidelines, the decision simply calls for ARB to explain its selection of cap and trade in a sufficient manner.

According to Brent Newell, an attorney for the plaintiff Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, this is the outcome they hoped for. “We wanted the good parts of A.B. 32 to proceed…and that’s exactly what the court did.”

Over at The New Republic’s The Vine, Brad Plumer discusses how sea otters make the case for capping carbon pollution & allowing trading of pollution permits:

Let’s say Congress enacted a cap-and-trade system and pollution permits were selling for about $20 a ton. If [scientist Chris] Wilmers is right and a healthy sea otter population could sequester ten million tons of carbon, that’d be worth $200 million. So polluters might decide that it’s cheaper to fund sea otter preservation programs than cut power use (at least in the short term), and new offset projects could get approved. Voila: There’s suddenly money to try this sea otter strategy. (Obviously you’d need to have regulators make sure these offset projects are actually working.)

On the other hand, if your national energy policy just consists of a bunch of flat regulations and subsidies for different energy sources, then this whole sea otter business is going to get ignored. Sure, maybe Congress will decide that sea otter preservation is something worth funding directly, but waiting for the legislature to bankroll worthwhile carbon-reduction projects is an awfully sluggish and inflexible way to do business. (Plus, who knows, maybe the urchin lobby steps into the fray.) Right now, Congress is leaning toward this regulation-and-subsidy approach to energy. But there’s an excellent case for a more flexible market-based system. Just ask the otters.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2010/07/how-cap-trade-would-help-wildlife-or-cap-pollution-trade-otters/feed/03842Can All Senators Hear Growing Clamor for Clean Energy?http://blog.nwf.org/2009/10/can-all-senators-hear-growing-clamor-for-clean-energy/
http://blog.nwf.org/2009/10/can-all-senators-hear-growing-clamor-for-clean-energy/#commentsTue, 27 Oct 2009 23:38:38 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2009/10/27/can-all-senators-hear-growing-clamor-for-clean-energy/I spent the day watching the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee’s hearing on the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act. But while I listened to Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) deny even basic climate science, what was most remarkable was the news coming in from outside the hearing room: